It is already known to condense and precipitate water from water vapor or from a gas containing water vapor by way of cooling the water vapor or gas containing water vapor by using cooling water for the cooling process. With this first known method heat is conducted to the cooling water and the latter is then re-cooled in a cooling tower, with significant quantities of water being lost due to evaporation.
Alternatively it is already known to condense water from water vapor or from a gas containing water vapor in a closed circuit, the water vapor or gas containing water vapor being cooled by means of a gaseous cooling medium such as cooling air for example. The condensed water is collected and supplied to a further use. However, this second method is associated with considerably higher operating costs than the first method. Considerable quantities of thermal energy are lost unused when performing both the first and the second method.